“I said I wouldn’t weary you by going into unnecessary details,” continued Kearns, “so I’ll omit the further investigations pursued by me and come to the point at once by telling you that I’m satisfied that no attack came from either the corridor or the antechamber. It came from without.” “From the windows?” “Exactly. There are four windows to the apartment. Two of these were closed last night and two open. All were shaded by heavy blinds which had been drawn fully down. The windows are forty-five feet from the ground and fifty-five feet below the palace roof. The grounds immediately beneath are patrolled by two sentinels, and on the roof immediately above are two other sentinels. The windows look out upon the park and the nearest tree to any of the four windows is sixty-five feet away.” “It would seem a safe enough retreat and one certainly very difficult of approach by an enemy,” remarked the Professor. “And yet,” replied Kearns, “that was the point from which the attack came. The King is extremely fond of air. He experiences a sense of suffocation whenever he is closed in an apartment which is not sufficiently airy. Confident in the sentinels above and below and in the inaccessibility of his chamber, it has been his custom to sleep with two of the windows open. I examined these windows carefully, inside and out. I discovered only one thing. It was not much and yet--yet--I think it means something.” “What was it?” inquired the Professor eagerly. “On the under side of the stone ledge under one of the windows, I discovered three sharp scratches and four small but rather deep indentations.” “Ah! is that all?” exclaimed the Professor with an air of disappointment. “That was all,” replied Kearns calmly, “yet to me it means something.” “What do you think?” “That by gripping onto the under part of that window ledge, something was held in place there--moored, if you so like to call it.” “I fail to follow you,” remarked the Professor. “Very well, then,” said Kearns, “if that’s the case, we’ll leave the window and maybe you can follow me into the grounds. But before doing that, let me tell you one other fact I discovered. It was this: I inquired into the exact dates on which the three previous attacks had taken place and made another little discovery.” “What was it?” “Was there any moon last night?” asked Kearns, suddenly breaking off. “No,” answered the Professor, after a moment’s reflection; “the last quarter went out three nights ago.” “And last night was quite a dark night, wasn’t it?” “Yes,” replied the Professor; “slightly hazy and overcast.” “Any heavy wind?” “No,” answered the Professor. “Just so,” continued Kearns, “and it was the same on the occasions of the other three attacks. I’ve consulted the weather records and in each case found a night following shortly after the wane of the moon’s last quarter--a dark, starless night, with light winds. Do you begin to scent an African in the woodpile?”